


Forgiven

by SwornToDevotion



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:07:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23815855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwornToDevotion/pseuds/SwornToDevotion
Summary: Mahad's strongest desire is to serve Pharaoh Atem faithfully. However, when Thief King Bakura defiles King Akhnamkanen's tomb and drags his mummy into the throne room, Pharaoh Atem is outraged by the thief's disrespect. Mahad, as the Captain of the Royal Guard, feels the sting of the guilt that threatens to crush him and wrench him from his position. How does his pharaoh react?
Relationships: Atem/Mahaado | Mahad
Kudos: 9





	Forgiven

"Great Pharaoh! I am to blame for this. My ineptitude allowed that thief to defile the previous king's tomb! I await your punishment!" The words tumbled from my lips, tasting of bitter guilt and self-condemnation, as I threw myself heavily onto the smooth, polished limestone of the palace balcony. On my knees, I was not begging for mercy. Quite the contrary. My supplication was for punishment, my plea was for penalty – I beseeched him to pass righteous judgment. With a chest constricted by shame, I could scarcely take in air. My lungs burned from lack of oxygen, my heart stung from deficient hope. The cool Egyptian breeze struck its icy whips against my robes, and my mind reeled with images of the near future. Flay his body, break his bones, and execute him as a warning to others. . .Cruel, harsh, painful..yes, perhaps Seto's method would be employed after all. Not on a petty robber, but on a demoted priest. My tortured confession hung in the air, thickening the pressure in my chest and warping the images in my mind. Just when I was certain I would burst from the pressure inside – He spoke. Gentleness, compassionate, and mercy flowed from his every syllable: /ma-had pl-ea-se see that my fa-ther is in-terr-ed with re-spect/. 

Shocked to my very core, I gazed in a coalescence of incredulity and awe.

Noticing my reaction to the Pharaoh's words, Master Siamun explained the justness of his ruling. As he spoke and the reality of my liberty washed over me, the constriction in my chest loosened and relaxed, the scarab images in my mind were silenced. My heartbeat slowed. Had it really been pounding so fiercely only a minute ago? As Siamun concluded, I gazed thoughtfully at the floor, pondering my strange emotions. So this is what it feels like to be forgiven…


End file.
